The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Division of Cancer Prevention (DCP) has created the DCP Early Career Scientist Spotlight Research Seminar Series to highlight nominated early career scientists who are advancing research within the areas supported by DCP. These research areas include:
- Cancer Early Detection Biomarker Development and Screening
- Intervention Development for Cancer Prevention
- Precision Cancer Prevention
- Symptom Science and Management
Beyond their talks, the invited speakers, all DCP Early Career Scientists, will have the opportunity to interact with DCP and the broader NCI staff involved in cancer prevention research. While the overall goal is to increase visibility and provide recognition to the DCP Early Career Scientists, these research seminars alongside interactions with the cancer prevention research community at NCI will also promote the acceleration of progress and innovation of cancer prevention.
These seminars are held virtually.
Upcoming Seminars
- Monday, February 10, 2025 | 11am EST
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Title of presentation
TBD
Speaker
Mary Luz Rol, Ph.D.
Scientist, Early Detection, Prevention & Infections Branch, IARC-WHOBiography
I am Dr. Mary Luz Rol. In 2017, I joined the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC-WHO), motivated to improve equal access to high-quality healthcare for everyone. Currently, I lead an IARC team dedicated to eliminating cervical cancer as a public health priority in accordance with WHO targets. I manage the EASTER project, which tests novel, low-cost AI-based screening, triage, and treatment methods for cervical cancer and precancer in low- and middle-income countries.
Furthermore, I coordinate the "Cancer Screening in Five Continents" (CanScreen5) training effort in 27 countries, including 17 francophone African countries and 10 Asian countries. CanScreen5 aims to help countries collect and use cancer screening data in order to assess and improve the quality of national screening programs.
Previously, I oversaw the ESTAMPA clinical trial. ESTAMPA evaluated several approaches for implementing primary HPV screening and triage of HPV-positive women throughout nine Latin American countries.
Abstract
TBD
- Wednesday, February 19, 2025 | 1 pm EST
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Title of presentation
Survivorship in Patients with Multiple Myeloma Treated with Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapy
Speaker
Laura Oswald, Ph.D.
Assistant Member, Department of Health Outcomes and Behavior, Moffitt Cancer CenterBiography
Dr. Laura Oswald is a tenure-track Assistant Member in the Department of Health Outcomes and Behavior at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, FL. She earned a PhD in Clinical Health Psychology from the University of Miami and completed an NCI-funded T32 postdoctoral fellowship in Cancer Prevention and Control at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. At Moffitt, Dr. Oswald leads a research program in behavioral oncology with the overarching goals of understanding and improving cancer survivorship outcomes, such as symptom burden, among novel and underrepresented populations. Her accomplishments to date include almost 100 peer-reviewed publications, several national awards and recognitions, and she was recently awarded her first NCI R01 as Principal Investigator.
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (CAR-T) is a revolutionary treatment that harnesses a patient’s immune system to kill cancer. Since 2021, two CAR-Ts were FDA-approved for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). However, real-world data about how CAR-T affects patient-reported outcomes (PROs), such as symptom burden, is limited. Our team conducted the first study of longitudinal PROs among real-world RRMM CAR-T recipients, starting pre-CAR-T and through 90 days post-infusion (a key clinical endpoint). Subsequently, we explored relationships between PROs, immune activation, and common clinician-graded CAR-T toxicities, including cytokine release syndrome and neurotoxicity. In an R01-funded study and guided by a psychoneuroimmunology framework, we are prospectively investigating the dynamics of psychosocial and immune-related factors in relation to key survivorship outcomes in a large cohort of real-world RRMM CAR-T recipients over one year. Findings will elucidate targets and critical times for implementing evidence-based behavioral supportive care interventions to improve outcomes and modify immune-related factors.
- Monday, March 3, 2025 | 11am EST
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Title of presentation
Engineering Orthogonal Breath Biomarkers for Multiplexed Cancer Diagnostics
Speaker
Shih-Ting "Christine" Wang, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Material Science and Engineering, Northwestern UniversityBiography
Dr. Christine Wang is a biomaterials engineer specializing in bioactive materials for medical applications. As a postdoctoral fellow at the Koch Institute of MIT, she develops multiplexed nanosensors for non-invasive detection of lung cancer through exhaled breath. In January 2025, she will begin her independent research program as an assistant professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University, continuing to integrate engineering and medicine to tackle critical health challenges.
Previously, Dr. Wang was a research associate at Brookhaven National Laboratory, where she designed novel 3D protein architectures using DNA nanotechnology. She earned her Ph.D. from Imperial College London, focusing on biosensing technologies and understanding amyloid fibrillation in diabetes. Additionally, she collaborated with the Molecular Foundry at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory on peptidomimetics and liquid-cell electron microscopy to visualize bio-nano interactions in situ to deepen understanding of materials dynamics relevant to medical applications.
Abstract
Breath biopsy is emerging as a rapid and non-invasive diagnostic tool that links exhaled chemical signatures with specific medical conditions. Despite its potential, clinical translation remains limited by the challenge of reliably detecting endogenous, disease-specific biomarkers in breath. Synthetic biomarkers present an emerging paradigm for precision diagnostics by amplifying biochemical signals in the diseased microenvironments. However, their adaptation to breath biopsy has been constrained by the limited availability of volatile reporters that are detectable and distinguishable in exhaled breath. In this talk, I will describe how we address this limitation by engineering multiplexed breath biomarkers that couple aberrant protease activities to exogenous volatile reporters. We designed novel intramolecular reactions to sense a broad spectrum of proteases, each releasing a unique reporter in breath. This approach was validated in a mouse model of influenza to establish baseline sensitivity and specificity in a controlled inflammatory setting and subsequently applied to diagnose lung cancer using an autochthonous Alk-mutant model. We show that combining multiplexed reporter signals with machine learning algorithms enables assessment of tumor progression, treatment response, and relapse within 30 min. This multiplexed breath biopsy platform highlights a promising avenue for rapid, point-of-care diagnostics across diverse disease states. Beyond this work, I will also describe new directions of developments of diagnostic platforms for improving the quality of human health.
- Monday, March 31, 2025 | 11am EST
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Title of presentation
TBD
Speaker
Alexandra Harris, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Cancer Prevention Fellow, NCI, NIHBiography
A basic scientist by training, Dr. Alexandra Harris earned her B.S. in Biochemistry and Cell Biology and her M.S. in Biology from the University of California, San Diego. She completed her Ph.D. in Experimental Pathology from the University of Virginia School of Medicine in the Biomedical Engineering department. Dr. Harris went on to receive her M.P.H. in Quantitative Methods from Harvard School of Public Health, with a concentration in Epidemiology and Biostatistics. As a Cancer Prevention Fellow at NCI, she has a dual appointment between the Division of Cancer Epidemiology under the mentorship of Dr. Gretchen Gierach and the Center for Cancer Research with Dr. Stefan Ambs. Her research program integrates basic and population science to study how social, environmental, and genetic factors modulate breast tissue and its microenvironment in ways that can contribute to disparities in breast cancer risk and outcomes in women of African descent.
Abstract
TBD
- Monday, April 21, 2025 | 1pm EST
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Title of presentation
Reprogramming Lipogenic Metabolism and Inflammation in High-risk Breast with Licochalcone A: A Novel Path to Cancer Prevention
Speaker
Atieh Hajirahimkhan, Ph.D.
NCI NRSA Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Surgery, Lurie Cancer Center Translational Bridge Fellow, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern UniversityBiography
I am a medicinal chemist with extensive experience in natural products pharmacology and drug discovery. I completed my PhD at the University of Illinois Chicago followed by an American Cancer Society postdoctoral fellowship (2018-2022), a current NCI-NRSA postdoctoral fellowship (2023-2025), and a Lurie Cancer Center Translational Bridge fellowship (2022-2024) in Dr. Seema Khan’s laboratory at Northwestern University. The presently available endocrine therapies used for breast cancer prevention have adverse side effects which has led to minimal acceptance and impact. My research interest is interventional breast cancer risk reduction through reversing oncogenic metabolism and inflammation in high-risk breast with minimal adverse effects. I am developing a promising candidate agent, L13, based on licochalcone A, with demonstrated efficacy against HR+ and HR- breast cancer subtypes, and a promising oral pharmacokinetics. My career goal is to establish independent academic research in the medicinal prevention of cancer.
Abstract
TBD
- Wednesday, April 23, 2025 | 11am EST
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Title of presentation
TBD
Speaker
Rina S. Fox, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Assistant Professor, University of Arizona College of NursingBiography
Dr. Rina S. Fox is an Assistant Professor at the University of Arizona College of Nursing, as well as a member of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program and the Co-Director of the Behavioral Measurement and Interventions Shared Resource at the University of Arizona Cancer Center. As a licensed clinical psychologist, her research focuses on understanding how psychosocial processes impact cancer survivorship and developing behavioral interventions to decrease symptom burden and improve health-related quality of life. Currently she is leading projects focused on 1) understanding and improving sleep health in cancer and 2) addressing the unique psychosocial needs of adolescent and young adult cancer survivors. Dr. Fox received a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the San Diego State University/University of California, San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology and completed a NCI T32-funded postdoctoral fellowship in Cancer Prevention and Control at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
Abstract
TBD
- Monday, May 12, 2025 | 11am EST
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Title of presentation
TBD
Speaker
Xiaoshuang Feng, Ph.D.
Scientist, Cancer Epidemiology Branch, IARC-WHOBiography
I am an early-career scientist working in the Risk Assessment and Early Detection (RED) team at the International Agency for Research on Cancer. My work aims to optimize cancer screening strategies, with specific topics including multi-cancer detection and lung cancer risk prediction models and biomarkers. In the area of multi-cancer detection, our work showed that the suitability of stage-based endpoints to replace the endpoint of cancer mortality varies by cancer type, which poses a challenge for multi-cancer screening trials (JAMA 2024). Working in the Lung Cancer Cohort Consortium (LC3), we evaluated the performance of ten lung cancer risk models in Europe (Lancet Digit Health 2024), and across US racial/ethnic groups (in preparation). Also in the LC3, using high-throughput proteomics, we identified 36 proteins for early lung cancer detection (Nat Commun 2023). Integrating proteins with smoking information improved risk discrimination, especially for those are ineligible by current screening criteria (JNCI 2023).
Abstract
TBD
- Monday, May 19, 2025 | 11am EST
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Title of presentation
TBD
Speaker
Doratha "Armen" Byrd, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Assistant Member, Departments of Cancer Epidemiology Program and Gastrointestinal Oncology, Moffitt Cancer CenterBiography
Dr. Byrd received a B.S. in biology and an M.P.H. in epidemiology from the University of Florida. She completed her Ph.D. in epidemiology at Emory University, where her dissertation research focused on the development and validation of novel, inflammation biomarker panel-weighted dietary and lifestyle inflammation scores, and their associations with colorectal neoplasms. In January 2019, she joined the National Cancer Institute Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics as a postdoctoral fellow. During her time there, she conducted methodologic microbiota studies and investigated associations of the microbiota with cancer risk and of diet with the gut metabolome. In January 2021, she joined Moffitt Cancer Center as an Assistant Member in the Department of Cancer Epidemiology, where she continues to contribute to the reduction of cancer disparities using an integrative, interdisciplinary approach to study lifestyle- and microbiome-mediated mechanisms for cancer risk among diverse populations.
Abstract
TBD
- Thursday, July 10, 2025 | 1pm EST
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Title of presentation
Targeting Aging Biology to Optimize the Long-Term Health of Cancer Survivors
Speaker
Mina Sedrak, M.D., M.S.
Associate Professor of Medicine, Director of Cancer and Aging Program, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLABiography
Dr. Mina Sedrak is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of the Cancer and Aging Program at UCLA. His research investigates the mechanisms behind cancer treatment-induced accelerated aging and aims to develop innovative therapies to prevent or reverse this process. Dr. Sedrak’s work, recognized by the NIA with the Paul B. Beeson Career Development Award, bridges cancer and aging to improve outcomes for older adults with cancer. Passionate about inclusivity, he advocates for greater representation of older, frail adults in clinical trials. In addition to his research, he holds key leadership positions, including Vice Chair of the Alliance NCORP Cancer in Older Adults Committee and Chair-Elect of the Research Committee for the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Abstract
TBD
- Exploring Chemoprevention Strategies for Bladder Cancer Interception (video)
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Date: Monday, July 29, 2024
Speaker
Venkateshwar Madka, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Medicine
Preclinical Bioassay Director
Center for Cancer Prevention and Drug Development
Stephenson Cancer Center
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences CenterBiography
Venkateshwar Madka is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Medicine, University of Oklahoma HSC and Experimental Bioassays Director at the Center for Cancer Prevention and Drug Development (CCPDD), Stephenson Cancer Center, Oklahoma City. Dr. Madka earned his Ph.D. from the Osmania University, India then received his postdoctoral training in Cancer Chemoprevention at the University of Oklahoma HSC, USA. His research is focused on urinary bladder cancer prevention using chemo- immune- prevention strategies. Using carcinogen induced and transgenic rodent models he investigated several potential chemopreventive candidates and published 42 peer-reviewed articles and reviews. He also made over 65 presentations at various national and international scientific meetings, some of which have received travel awards. Notably he is recipient of AACR Scholar-in-Training Award in Memory of Dr. Lee W. Wattenberg. He is Co-I and Co-PI on several NCI funded grants. His other research interests include inflammation, vaccines, bioactive compounds, and early detection.
Abstract
Bladder cancer (BC) is one of the most frequently diagnosed neoplasms, with an estimated half a million new cases and 200,000 deaths per year worldwide. Men have a 3-4 times higher risk of developing bladder cancer than women. Cigarette smoking and exposure to chemicals such as aromatic amines, and aniline dyes have been known risk factors for BC. Although most of the patients are diagnosed at non-invasive disease stage, frequent recurrence, lack of response to currently used BCG therapies results in disease progression to invasive disease and metastasis. Therefore, our major focus has been to develop small molecule agents for interception of this deadly disease. Using various preclinical models of BC, we have evaluated agents targeting various mechanisms such as inflammation, cell survival and hormone receptor signaling pathways etc. Some of these repurposed agents have demonstrated significant preventive efficacy against BC progression in preclinical stage and warrant further evaluation.
Webinar Recording
- Feasibility of Self-Administered, Intravaginal Therapies for Cervical Precancer Treatment in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (video)
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Date: Wednesday, May 29, 2024
Speaker
Chemtai Mungo, M.D., M.P.H.
Assistant Professor
Obstetrics and Gynecology
University of North Carolina
Chapel HillBiography
Chemtai Mungo is an Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. She received her medical degree from the University of California San Francisco where she graduated with Distinction in Clinical and Translational Research. She also holds a Master’s in Public Health from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Dr. Mungo was born and raised in Kenya and is passionate about using research to pursue equity in global women's health. Her research is focused on secondary prevention of cervical cancer in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), specifically investigating the feasibility of topical, self-administered therapies for cervical precancer treatment. Dr. Mungo was awarded the ASCO Young Investigator Award in 2021, and in 2022, was awarded an American Association Cancer Research (AACR) Global Fund for Women’s Cancers Career Development Award and the Gilead HIV Scholars Award. The UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and the National Cancer Institute also support her work.
Abstract
In 2020, cervical cancer resulted in over 600,000 deaths worldwide, despite being largely preventable through vaccination and screening. The disease primarily impacts women in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), who represent 85% of the cases and 90% of the deaths. To combat this, the World Health Organization initiated the '90/70/90' strategy in 2018, aiming for 90% HPV vaccination, 70% screening, and 90% treatment rates by 2030. Achieving these targets could avert 74 million cases and 62 million deaths in LMICs. Recent advancements like effective single-dose HPV vaccines and HPV self-sampling have expanded screening capabilities. However, challenges remain in treating cervical precancer due to the lack of skilled healthcare providers and necessary infrastructure. Dr. Mungo is exploring the feasibility of self-administered intravaginal therapies for cervical precancer treatment in LMICs, which could significantly improve access to treatment in these regions, which maybe transformative in increasing access to precancer treatment and hence reducing global cervical cancer mortality.
Webinar Recording
- CD8+ T Cell Clonal Dynamics in Response to ICB Therapy in Surgically Resectable (Sx) NSCLC
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Date: Friday, April 19, 2024
Speaker
Jonathan Villena-Vargas, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Clinical Cardiothoracic Surgery
Weill Cornell MedicineBiography
As a Thoracic Surgeon and Early-Stage Investigator at Weill Cornell Medicine, Jonathan Villena-Vargas specializes in T cell-based immunotherapy for lung cancer. Through his endeavors, he established a novel biobank and mouse model to investigate metastatic relapse in early-stage lung cancer, emphasizing the role of ICB therapy on tumor-draining lymph nodes. His research has garnered support from an NIH supplement grant, diverse funding sources, and a significant collaboration with Kadmon Therapeutics to explore IL-15 immunomodulators. He has presented my preliminary findings at major National and International conferences in both 2022 and 2023. Importantly, Jonathan aims to leverage nodal memory response to augment our understanding of immune correlates. This ambition sets the stage for enhanced biomarkers and the evolution of next-gen ICB to tackle the global issue of resectable lung cancer. Committed to bridging lab discoveries with clinical applications, he envisions a future as a leading surgeon-scientist at WCM.
Abstract
Metastasis is the primary cause of mortality in surgically resectable (Sx) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with early detection advancements failing to curb metastatic recurrence. The PD-1/PD-L1 pathway inhibition, while standard, fails in up to 80% of patients, underscoring the need for effective treatments, predictive biomarkers, and strategies against metastatic relapse. This research focuses on the role of PD-1 blockade in developing tumor-specific functional T cell memory essential for post-Sx immune surveillance. We aim to identify CD8+ T cell subsets critical for post-surgical immunity, hypothesizing that stem cell-like CD8+ T cells in tumor-draining lymph nodes are critical for immunity. Our objectives include elucidating these cells' role in anti-tumor immunity and their contribution to immune responses. This study will advance understanding of T-cell immunosurveillance, impacting therapeutic strategies, clinical trials, and vaccine development in NSCLC, utilizing a novel "live T cell" biobank and a Sx murine model for comprehensive analysis.
Webinar Recording
No video recording available.
- The Role of Neoantigen-Specific T-Cells in Cancer Interception and Immune Monitoring of Lynch Syndrome
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Date: Friday, March 22, 2024
Speaker
Fahriye Duzagac, Ph.D.
Division of Cancer Prevention & Population Sciences Cancer Prevention Research Training Program (CPRTP) Postdoctoral Fellow
Department of Clinical Cancer Prevention
MD Anderson Cancer CenterBiography
Fahriye Duzagac is a postdoctoral researcher at MD Anderson Cancer Center, focusing on cancer prevention, especially in Lynch Syndrome and mismatch repair-deficient cancers. Her undergraduate works included studying cancer stem cells and immune cells within tumor microenvironments using a microfluidic chip-based model to address tumor heterogeneity. Fahriye’s research encompasses two primary objectives: deciphering the molecular and cellular mechanisms of colorectal cancer with an emphasis on immune prevention, including analyzing immune responses in Lynch Syndrome and tracking the transformation from pre-cancerous lesions to invasive colon cancer. Additionally, she is identifying and validating recurrent frameshifted peptide neoantigens in Lynch Syndrome through extensive genomic and transcriptomic analyses and studying the clonal dynamics of neoantigen-specific T cells, key for developing preventive vaccines and improving early cancer detection. Her dedication to this field has been recognized with the CPRIT Postdoctoral Fellowship in Cancer Prevention, and more recently, her selection as an NCI-DCP Early Career Scientist.
Abstract
Lynch Syndrome (LS) is a hereditary condition marked by mutations in mismatch repair genes, leading to a high risk of colorectal (50-80%) and endometrial (40-60%) cancers, among others. These mutations generate neoantigens, triggering an immune response even in pre-cancerous lesions. Our single-cell omics analysis of LS carriers' colonic tissue revealed a robust immune presence, with T-cell activation and differentiation evident. However, our findings also indicated signs of T-cell exhaustion and dysfunction in active cancer stages, underscoring the critical need for early detection and timely intervention. We explored the potential of neoantigen-based vaccines by identifying and testing immunogenic neoantigens, with a 65% validation rate. Our ongoing research focuses on the immune responses of these neoantigen-specific T cells, aiming to develop TCR-based immune monitoring and vaccination strategies for early cancer interception in LS carriers. This approach could significantly impact the management and prevention of cancer in this high-risk population.
Webinar Recording
No video recording available.
- Harnessing the Potential for Immune Interception in Pancreatic Cancer High-Risk Cohort (video)
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Date: Monday, February 12, 2024
Speaker
Neeha Zaidi, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Oncology
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center
Johns Hopkins UniversityBiography
Neeha Zaidi is a physician-scientist and oncologist who focuses on the development of vaccine strategies for the treatment and interception of pancreatic cancer. Specifically, her work focuses on targeting mutated KRAS which is expressed in up to 90% of pancreatic cancers as well as associated precursor lesions. She is leading the first trial to test a mutant KRAS vaccine for pancreatic cancer interception in high–risk cohorts either with germline predisposition and/or high–risk intrapapillary mucinous neoplasia. Their work utilizes single cell technologies to analyze the vaccine-induced T cell transcriptome and repertoire, as well as spatial transcriptomics to assess changes in the cellular architecture in premalignant tissue. In tandem, mouse models are used to test strategies to enhance vaccine efficacy by (a) identifying MHC II neoantigens; (b) using molecular dynamics to predict immunogenic neoantigens; and (c) studying the temporal sequence of changes in cellular composition as premalignancy progresses to PDAC.
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains a deadly disease and is projected to be the third leading cause of death by 2030. Contemporary immunotherapies have shown little to now response in PDAC. However, we and others find the premalignant lesions PanINs (or pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia) are less immunosuppressive and more amenable to vaccine interception strategies. Mutated KRAS is the earliest driver that is expressed in up to 90% of precursor lesions and thus serves as an attractive off-the-shelf vaccine target for interception. Notably, at least 10% of PDACs arise from a genetic predisposition. We have tested a pooled long peptide vaccine targeting the six most common KRAS mutations in high-risk cohorts after establishing both safety and immunogenicity in patients who had undergone PDAC resection and received standard-of-care adjuvant chemotherapy. In both studies, we have demonstrated an induction of de novo, high quality T cell responses post-vaccination.
Webinar Recording
- Tuning the Organ-selectivity of mRNA Expression through Dendrimer-based Lipid Nanoparticles
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Date: Monday, January 29, 2024
Speaker
Fan Zhang, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Pharmaceutics
University of FloridaBiography
Fan Zhang received his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University in Materials Science & Engineering. His graduate work established the guiding principles for designing nanomedicines to target neuroinflammation. To expand the clinical impact of his research, he then undertook postdoctoral training at the clinical research division of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. This experience solidified his foundation in immuno-oncology, cell & gene therapy, and experimental tumor models. Dr. Zhang’s research focuses on developing synthetic nanoplatforms to direct immune cells as ‘living therapeutics’. To this end, his laboratory integrates materials science, immunology, synthetic biology, and translational medicine to create novel nanotherapeutics for controlled modulation of the immune system. The overarching goal of his research is to establish a fundamental understanding of nanotherapeutic design and the ways it interacts with the immune system. The ultimate goal of his research is to translate nanomedicine to the clinic.
Abstract
The predominant liver-targeting of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) significantly limited the general application of IVT-mRNA as a systemic therapy. To identify novel LNPs that deliver mRNA beyond the liver, we constructed a library of ionizable lipids using dendrimer as a scaffold. Through a combination of in vitro and in vivo screening, we discovered that the structure of internal amines (i.e., secondary, tertiary, or quaternary amines) within the ionizable lipids determines the selectivity of mRNA expression in either spleen, liver, or lung; The apparent pKa of the DLNPs further influence the amount of expression in these organs. Guided by this mechanism, we designed 9 patentable lead mRNA formulations with superior in vivo transfection than FDA-approved LNPs. This discovery provides guiding principles for rationally designing LNP for spleen targeting. Implemented in clinics, this delivery platforms can be used for targeted delivery of RNAs to spleens as prophylactic or therapeutic vaccines for immune-related disorders.
Webinar Recording
No video recording available.
Read more about this early career opportunity!
Please email NCIDCPworkforce@mail.nih.gov if you have any questions or inquiries about this research seminar series.
Especially if:
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